What was MC Hammer's real name and where was he born?
MC Hammer was born Stanley Kirk Burrell on the 30th of March 1962 in Oakland, California. He grew up in a housing project in East Oakland with eight siblings.
Questions about MC Hammer
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why is MC Hammer called Hammer?
Reggie Jackson gave Burrell the nickname "Hammer" because the boy resembled Hank Aaron, whose own nickname was "The Hammer". Burrell was working as a clubhouse assistant for the Oakland A's at the time, relaying game information to owner Charlie Finley.
Which MC Hammer album achieved diamond status?
Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, released on the 12th of February 1990, became the first hip-hop album to achieve diamond status, selling more than eighteen million units. It remains the best-selling hip-hop album of all time.
Why did MC Hammer go bankrupt?
MC Hammer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on the 1st of April 1996 in Oakland, California, after accumulating more than thirteen million dollars in debt. Declining album sales, a large payroll supporting dancers, musicians, and staff, unpaid loans, and lavish personal spending depleted a fortune that had once exceeded thirty-three million dollars.
What song sampled Rick James on Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em?
"U Can't Touch This" sampled Rick James' "Super Freak". Rick James later sued MC Hammer for copyright infringement, and the suit was settled out of court when Hammer agreed to credit James as co-composer, entitling James to a share of the song's earnings.
How did MC Hammer get his start in the music industry?
Hammer borrowed twenty thousand dollars each from former Oakland A's players Mike Davis and Dwayne Murphy and used the money to found Bust It Productions. He recorded and sold records independently, distributing them from his car trunk, before signing a multi-album deal with Capitol Records in 1988 for a one-million-seven-hundred-fifty-thousand-dollar advance.